The Steam Deck - a Switch competitor coming in december 2021

[bbr]

https://www.steamdeck.com/en/

Introducing Steam Deck™, starting at 419€.
Starts shipping December 2021.

Processor:
AMD APU
CPU: Zen 2 4c/8t, 2.4-3.5GHz (up to 448 GFlops FP32)
GPU: 8 RDNA 2 CUs, 1.0-1.6GHz (up to 1.6 TFlops FP32)
APU power: 4-15W

Ram:
16 GB LPDDR5 RAM (5500 MT/s)

Storage:
64 GB eMMC (PCIe Gen 2 x1)
256 GB NVMe SSD (PCIe Gen 3 x4)
512 GB high-speed NVMe SSD (PCIe Gen 3 x4)
All models include high-speed microSD card slot

Resolution
1280 x 800px (16:10 aspect ratio)
Type
Optically bonded LCD for enhanced readability
Display size
7" diagonal
Brightness
400 nits typical
Refresh rate
60Hz
Touch enabled
Yes
Sensors
Ambient light sensor

More specs: https://www.steamdeck.com/en/tech

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Looks good, like a mini pc - competitor for the switch, that you can use docked with a big screen, keyboard and mouse if you wanted to.
And yes you can install windows on it as well.

[Val the Moofia Boss]

"Competitor for the Switch"? Not really. People could already connect their PC to their TVs (via a cable or streaming) and play their games on the big screen if they wanted. If they wanted to play on the go then they could stream their PC to their phone. And most people who buy the Switch aren't buying for the dual functionality; they're buying for access to the current library of Nintendo games (Switch emulators require huge processing power to run at a decent framerate, which means even more expensive hardware... which is conspicuously scarce ATM).

This will just be another Steam Box: a highly niche product that will sell to the people who actively seek it out, but it's not going to seriously threaten the Switch.

[Jtbrig7390]

Highly looking forward to it and I hope it push's Nintendo to actually release a Switch Pro/2 sometime in the near future.

[Tech614]

"Switch competitor"

lol.

Beyond niche product vs a massively in demand item. The copium is strong in this one.

[RuneDK]

Welp this will solve my want for a gaming laptop. As long as it runs the game's decently I'm most likely getting one.

[druchii5]

This looks cool for sure. I wonder how well it will handle MMOs available on Steam like ESO and SWTOR.

[Djaye]

Highly looking forward to it and I hope it push's Nintendo to actually release a Switch Pro/2 sometime in the near future.

their new OLED model is their Switch 2. not more power, just prettier unfortunately. it will be another 4-5 years before they release an actual new console me thinks.

i would really appreciate this hand unit, or any hand unit for that matter, if a product existed like a set of glasses that could be used as a monitor that were smaller and far less bulky than VR headsets. like google glass with a more vibrant display. that would make mobile gaming far more appealing. small screens suck. i cant get into phone games or even tablet games because of it.

[RuneDK]

"Switch competitor"

lol.

Beyond niche product vs a massively in demand item. The copium is strong in this one.

The switch is a niche product too man...so yea it's a switch competitor as it's form factor and overall function as a handheld or connection to a tv is exactly the same...nintendo has it's games...steamdeck has your steam library...

- - - Updated - - -

their new OLED model is their Switch 2. not more power, just prettier unfortunately. it will be another 4-5 years before they release an actual new console me thinks.

it's weird that they released an OLED version without increasing the specs though. At least imo.

[Egomaniac]

I don't think anyone is really competing with Nintendo because Nintendo isn't actually competition at this point. The Switch isn't pulling at PC, PS, or XBox customers...they've got their own demofraphic and they cater to it pretty hard.

[jellmoo]

The two issues I have right now are weight and ergonomics. It's a lot heavier than the Switch, and the stick and button placement are not exactly well distributed. Granted I could be wrong and will happily admit to it once I get a chance to hold one, but it seems like this is going to be pretty uncomfortable to hold for extended gaming periods.

[Djaye]

it's weird that they released an OLED version without increasing the specs though. At least imo.

weird and lazy. they must know the demand is there.

[Tech614]

so yea it's a switch competitor

In Gabe's imagination maybe.

[Jastall]

Yeah, not sure about this one for me.

First, ergonomics. The sticks aren't very well placed and it's definitely much heavier than a Switch, whose portability is already not ideal. And I bet a lot of PC games won't play that well with the control scheme in the first place.

Second, they say it can play games well, but that'll heavily depend on the games if I'm looking at the specs right. The GPU doesn't seem that solid to me, obviously it's rendering at sub 1080p so you hardly need a 3080 in there but still.

Third, storage. Less of an issue for the Switch thanks to cartridges, but here you have to fork over a lot more than 400$ for your storage to accommodate more than a couple games. For small indies it'll be fine, less so for bigger games.

Plus, someone correct me if I'm wrong because I may be, isn't SteamOS based on Linux? And doesn't Linux not play nice with a lot of Steam games? Yeah you can install Windows apparently but that seems an extra annoyance and prone to perhaps causing more issues, especially early on.

All that said, I doubt Valve sees it as anywhere near a Switch competitor, it's just another product of theirs targeted more at enthusiasts and perhaps some of the mobile crowd.

[freezion]

The switch is a niche product too man...so yea it's a switch competitor as it's form factor and overall function as a handheld or connection to a tv is exactly the same...nintendo has it's games...steamdeck has your steam library...
.

Being one of the best selling consoles currently on the market hardly qualifies as being niche.

Weve had tonnes of of "switch competitors" like GDPs various models, the aya neo etc. And they never posed any real threat because they tend to be expensive, have questionable thermals and battery life tends to be an issue. And things like docking etc. Tends to be something they upsell rather than included. So you often end up spending north of 150-200eur, if not more on the baseline compared to a switch to get an equivalent "handheld gaming pc".

As far as steam library vs. Nintendo titles, then nintendo titles have been historically known for being system sellers.

The steamdeck have valve behind it, so itll definitely sell, but starting at 419, with the dock being an upsell, then i cant see it being a big competitor for the switch.

[Jtbrig7390]

I don't think anyone is really competing with Nintendo because Nintendo isn't actually competition at this point. The Switch isn't pulling at PC, PS, or XBox customers...they've got their own demofraphic and they cater to it pretty hard.

This is very false.

Gamers have a finite amount of time to game, Nintendo,Sony, MS ect... are all competition to get access to that time. Anyone who thinks that Nintendo isn't in competition with other platforms is foolish.

- - - Updated - - -

We are in the middle of a microchip shortage

and yet we got other platforms making other products. Yes there is a shortage, but shortage doesn't mean there isn't any.

[Egomaniac]

This is very false.

Gamers have a finite amount of time to game, Nintendo,Sony, MS ect... are all competition to get access to that time. Anyone who thinks that Nintendo isn't in competition with other platforms is foolish.

Nintendo isn't catering to the same demographic as Xbox, PS, and Steam. They've targetted their own demo and the service it well....but they don't puill people away fromt he other systems.

[Darknessvamp]

I hope this doesn't suddenly lead to Steam Link being discontinued to encourage sales, I like to use that feature sometimes. I'm sure it'll find a niche of an audience but I don't expect it to really become a 'competitive console' or something like that as comes off as something that adds further access and value to your Steam Library rather than it's own platform.

[RuneDK]

Being one of the best selling consoles currently on the market hardly qualifies as being niche.

Weve had tonnes of of "switch competitors" like GDPs various models, the aya neo etc. And they never posed any real threat because they tend to be expensive, have questionable thermals and battery life tends to be an issue. And things like docking etc. Tends to be something they upsell rather than included. So you often end up spending north of 150-200eur, if not more on the baseline compared to a switch to get an equivalent "handheld gaming pc".

As far as steam library vs. Nintendo titles, then nintendo titles have been historically known for being system sellers.

The steamdeck have valve behind it, so itll definitely sell, but starting at 419, with the dock being an upsell, then i cant see it being a big competitor for the switch.

you do realize that just because it's has really good sales doesn't mean it isn't a niche product right? The scrub daddy has sales at an exceptional level...it's still a niche product...sales numbers do not mean it isn't a niche...

I do agree that the dock being an upsell is...disappointing...but realistically more people will buy this for having their PC library on the go than to hook up to their TV. The steam library has plenty of system sellers that are significantly better than any nintendo game I've played...so comparing games and saying nintendo has system sellers is really a moot point since both will have games that push the platform.

[Jtbrig7390]

And there is a shortage of those other products?

Yes and once again it doesn't mean it can't get made...

[zealo]

I’m not convinced this will be any sort of huge success, especially not compared to the Switch.

Valve doesn’t have the sort of exclusive software output to drive hardware sales that Nintendo does, and that’s a major hurdle.